KENG MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

I am a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), a current specialist member of the Self Managed Super Professionals Association of Australia (SSA) and sit on their National Professional Standards Committee. I am a passionate advocate for the increased and continuing professionalism in my Industry. In addition to my current professional roles I am the Treasurer for the Boutique Financial Planning Principals’ Group Inc (BFP) and for the Body Corporate of my office premises. I have successfully completed study at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. These courses have been diverse in both the Humanities and Business areas and I have been fortunate enough to receive various scholarships and awards/honours during the completion of these studies. I have authored or co-authored articles in the Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, the Australian Journal of Communication, Sport Med News and Australian Triathlete Magazine. Having only recently moved to the Logan area, my Wife, two Sons and I are enjoying the lifestyle on offer and I’m happy to have the opportunity to support the local community.

I am a Queenslander by birth and have been a Loganite for over thirty years. I know Logan and I love Logan. Its where I run a business, raise kids and I am a leader in our community. I have been involved with Community Centres for more than ten years. As president of The Logan East Community and Neighbourhood Centre (2008 – 2016) and as Vice President of Loganlea Community Centre (2016 – 2017). I have now completed my second year as the President of Kingston East Neighbourhood Group. I am a leader with the Queensland Community Alliance and a founding participant in the Logan Community Group Alliance. Since 2017 I have chaired the Logan Asylum Support Group. Prior to working with Merv (KENG’s Immediate Past President) in the Community Centre Sector I knew Merv when I served as a Rotarian for ten years. I have been a business owner in Logan now for approx. 25 years and prior to this I was a senior manager in very large corporations. My love of community is because of my family upbringing and beliefs, I make a living from the community and strongly believe I should give back, and because there are people in need. My experience working within the business and community sector has allowed me to help the Committee, staff and volunteers to continue to achieve KENG’s Mission, Vision and Core Values.

KENG has so much to offer our dynamic city. I started volunteering at KENG in 2009 and have volunteered in the roles of Young Parent Mentor, Emergency Relief Coordinator and Fundraising Coordinator. I love the organisation, the people within it and what it offers the community at large. I am a member on the Management Committee and enjoy being able to assist KENG in the delivery of their wonderful services. I have volunteered in many organisations for most of my adult life and find it a rewarding experience. With volunteering, there is always something new to learn, wonderful experiences to be had and lasting friendships to be made. I have lived in Logan for most of my life and now have three gorgeous kids who live and go to school in the area, so I am keen to see our wonderful city thrive.  

I came to Australia four years ago with my wife and two kids after working over 20 years in the Middle East. My volunteering works started in 2016 when I joined ISCQ as a fundraising Manager to develop, implement and review of the fundraising and marketing strategies. I also work as Administration Manager to support FZIS, a Saturday community school to be an inclusive and high-performance school that supports all children to reach their potential. I am a qualified Civil Engineer and have worked at an executive level in construction industry for the past 30 years. I have experience in the public and private sector, including senior management roles including Project Management, Marketing and Human resources. I have also been privileged to be a member of the Management Committee of the KENG in 2018 to support its wide-ranging services.

My name is Fiona Banwell and I am a lawyer and midwife. I completed my studies in nursing at university and then worked in paediatrics before moving to midwifery. I worked as a nurse for several years and then commenced my studies in law. Once graduated from law my focus was litigation and I worked mainly in prosecutions before moving to coronial matters. I currently work in Metro South Hospital and Health Service as In-House Counsel, managing the coronial and criminal matters, as well as many medicolegal matters. I have worked in several government departments over the years; electing to remain within the government sector as it is more rewarding. I currently volunteer at the Caxton Legal Clinic and sit on the Human Research Ethics Committee for West Moreton and the Gold Coast HHS’s. I am also a Member of the Nursing and Midwifery Panel of Assessors, Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) and was recently appointed to the Animal Ethics Committee of QLD. Most importantly I have three children and several animals who ensure I am kept busy.  

I call myself a ‘pracademic’ or practitioner-academic. I have a background in Organisational Psychology and have focused much of my practice-research career exploring workplace bullying, facilitating change and supporting partnerships. I came to Logan in 2014 as part of my role in the CREATE project. Since then, I have forged strong relationships and connections throughout the community in Logan. I have always loved the sense of community in Logan and the affection and passion people have for this community. KENG is a brilliant example of what makes Logan such a great place to live and work. While I don’t live in Logan it is a privilege to work here in the community. Supporting KENG is one way I can give back to a community that has welcomed me so warmly.

My name is Leilani Kami and I am a lawyer. Before completing my law degree, I worked alongside teenagers at a Boarding School for over seven years. This built on my passion for creating great community, as well as my love of working with youth. In my legal career, I have worked in medicolegal and personal injury backgrounds. I now work within the family law sector, at a not-for-profit organisation which provides various support services to families and children. Working on the KENG Committee has been a great privilege, it is wonderful to be part of a team that strive to do their best for the local community, with a lot of heart. In my spare time, I am kept busy by my very large family and am an avid reader. I look forward to seeing KENG continue to grow and provide the space and services for our community to prosper.

My first job was in 2003 with United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) helping millions of Afghan refugees repatriating back to Afghanistan from neighbouring countries. In 2004, I joined the United Nations Development Program (UNDP)’s Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) program that successfully conducted the disarmament of 93,000 ex-army personnel and disbandment of local militia and reintegrating them into civilian life. In 2007, I decided to pursue my higher education and enrolled in bachelor’s degree in political sciences majoring in International Relations. I continued to work for U.S. Embassy and USAID from 2007 to 2010. I then joined the European Union Police mission in Afghanistan (EUPOL) in 2011. I am a member of the Afghan Young Leaders Forum as well as founding member of the Centre for Democracy and Development Studies.  

I’m a community Elder in Logan City. I joined the Navy when I was about 17 and served for six years. I left the Navy to work around Queensland and the Northern Territory. I returned to Brisbane when my father became ill and stayed. I became involved in community work, returning to university and TAFE in order to expand my skill base for this work that I continue to this day.